Skinny Love
by SemperSursum
Summary: "Just stay," He told her, his mercurial eyes searching hers. "Stay with me."


**SKINNY LOVE.**

_(Come on, skinny love, just last the year…)_

"Just stay," He told her, his mercurial eyes searching hers. "Stay with me."

A silent plead, that was what she saw in those sad grey eyes of his. His face that used to be so hard and cold now unnerved her. For here he was before her, a perfect picture of hurt and loneliness. The boy who fell off his bloody high horse. She should've been glad for his loss, should've been ecstatic, really. But she wasn't. She's lost a lot in this war too.

She took one look at him, at his broken state, and bit her lower lip in contemplation. For once in her life, she ignored logic.

"I guess Harry and Ron could manage a night without me," She whispered to the cold air as she made her way over to his side of the room.

_(I tell my love to wreck it all…)_

"You hate me, don't you?" He willed himself to ask her one night. He deemed it appropriate to ask her, given what happened earlier. He bumped into Potter and Weasley before Potions class and let's just say old habits die hard.

"I don't," She answered him, not really in the mood to say anything more. She felt tired. Keeping him out of trouble and sane exhausted her. And here she was, thinking she's Hogwart's very own Wonder Woman. She almost considered berating herself right there and then for such silly thoughts. She's no Wonder Woman; she's no superhero by all means. Being able to do magic doesn't really count as a superpower when thousands could do it too, does it?

He figured she wasn't going to say more in the matter, so he kept mum for a few seconds and tried to enjoy the silence only this corner of the castle could offer. But there's only so much silence he could take. "T-thanks for standing up for me," He paused and cleared his throat. "Though you really shouldn't have, Granger."

There she was earlier, defending him from her own best friends' obnoxious mouths and now he's telling her she shouldn't have? Now she really was in no mood to hang about him today anymore. "Blame it on my really lousy conscience then, Malfoy."

_(Cut out all the ropes and let me fall…)_

"You should stop sulking. It doesn't suit you," He told her as soon as he entered the room.

"What I do is none of your concern, Malfoy." She sent him a glare almost rivaling his old one. He would've been proud to say so if not for her terrible temper today. But to hell with it, he thought as he made his way over to her table and picked up one of her finished notes.

"Quite true, Granger. I just felt like returning the favor since you find what I do with my free time most interesting. Granted how I acted that first night…" He trailed off and shrugged knowing she knew what he meant. "Nonetheless, I feel it is right to be concerned about your well being when you're just sitting there and moping while you should be nagging me to death by now at how incredulous I acted during Divinations class."

She groaned, not really wanting to answer the git no matter how articulate he was with his words. He spoke as if he was in the 1800s. It was kind of funny but truth be told, she had always admired that about him. Merlin knows she has spent years trying to understand Ron's own language.

He tried to mimic her groan. He knew she found it vexing whenever he did so. "Weasley and Potter will forgive you. I'm sure of it."

"And if they don't?"

"Give up on me. I'm not worth it, Granger."

"Not an option, Malfoy." She answered him as she shut her book close rather forcefully. She's Hermione Granger for a reason: she doesn't give up on anything or in this case, anyone.

_(I told you to be patient, I told you to be kind…)_

"See, it's not so hard being nice. Is it, Malfoy?" She found herself smiling smugly after she said so.

"If being good means I have to help everyone who comes falling down then it is, by Merlin, difficult." He told her without once looking up from his book.

"I see your point there. Which is exactly why I only try to help one person at a time." She felt him stiffen beside her. And ever so slowly, he turned towards her but she was prepared for the upcoming onslaught.

"I'm your little project then, aren't I? That's what this is all about, isn't it? Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age and defender of all." How he could sound ever so condescending whilst whispering and looking impassive escapes her. "Just trying to live up to your title, aren't you?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, debating whether or not to call him a pompous git or an egotistical jerk. At the end, she stood up and left. She felt no need to justify herself. Not to him anyway.

_(In the morning I'll be with you…)_

"Why?" He asked while lowering himself to sit on the grass with her, not even a bit worried about being seen.

"Why what?" She countered, knowing he hates it when people answer him with another question.

"You know what I'm talking about, Granger. We both know you're too smart to play dumb. But just in case, I'll repeat my earlier question. And answer me honestly.

Why go through all this trouble just to help out an enemy? If not to feed your damned hero complex then what are you doing defending the likes of me?" His voice faltered a little at this point. "Just… why?" He finished, his expression a cross between confusion and anger and a little bit of adoration.

"Since you asked for honesty, I'll tell you the truth." She let out a breathe she didn't know she was holding. "You looked like you needed my help. Especially when you asked me to stay with you that night. You looked so alone."

"I guess I pretty much did. I practically begged you to stay." He said with a small smirk on his face, a sign that this comment was to be taken lightly and not used against him later on. Instead of the laughter he was getting used to hearing these past few days, he was met with silence. He turned to look at her, only to find her looking far off.

"I know how being alone feels like." She spoke a few moments later and smiled at him, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

_(Come on, skinny love, what happened here?)_

It's when she's all alone in her room at four in the morning that she starts to question everything. Her ideas, her plans, her dreams. Hogwarts. The wizarding world. The muggle world. Ron. Harry. Malfoy. Everything.

Even her worth.

The war has changed her indeed. Gone was the girl who thought she knew everything about the world. Gone was the naivety and rose-tinted glasses.

Helping Malfoy wasn't just to "feed her hero complex" as he would put it. No, it was about something more. It was about proving to herself that there's still hope for the world she chose to partake in seven years ago, that there's good in people like Malfoy, people who were caught up in the dark side who never knew better. She just wanted to prove something… anything.

_(We suckled on the hope in lite brassieres…)_

"Granger, they're staring." He told her in such a tone that it was as if he was just talking about the weather. She could easily tell that he wasn't bothered with the way she was holding his hand. Not one bit.

"Let them stare." She doesn't know what brought on this strange sort of confidence in her. Maybe it was because it was such a sunny day and it was getting to her. Maybe it was because Madam Pince told her that new books would be arriving to the library today. Or maybe it was because at this very moment, she was walking down the hall to Transfiguration with the very boy many had doubted she could change, but she did. Not surprisingly, she felt triumphant causing her to beam at said boy.

Over the past months, she has seen him change before her eyes. Gone was the cold and cruel ferret that he once was. Gone were his prejudices and his 'holier-than-thou' attitude. And he might not admit it but she could tell he's finally happy. She could see it in his mercurial eyes that always seemed to betray him. She's proved something, she definitely knows she did.

And just as she was about to enter the classroom, a familiar figure bumped into her. "Ronald."

_(And I told you to be fine…)_

"You miss him, don't you?" He asked her so quietly that she barely heard it.

"Huh?" was her only incoherent reply.

"You don't have to hide it, you know. We're past this. You miss the Boy-Who-Just-Won't-Die and you've _terribly_ missed the Weasel." And to this, she had no reply at all.

_(And now all your love is wasted…)_

As he watched her pull the redhead into a warm embrace, he realizes that it's always been him. It's always been the Weasel. He just might have taken her words and actions to mean more than just friendship and he might just have felt _something _for her. But it doesn't matter anymore, right?

And as he watched her kiss the redhead without hesitation, he gets his answer.

It doesn't matter. He knows that now.

_(I'm breaking at the bridges and at the end of all your lines…)_

"Draco, why are you acting like this?" He didn't bother to answer her. Either way, she'd still be angry at him.

"Is it so hard for you to at least be civil to my friends? I'm trying to make this all work. And there you go with your pompous arse, starting a fight with Ron. You very well know that I can't choose between the both of you. I can't lose either of you. Just…" He could see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Please, Draco." Her brown eyes silently begging.

"No, Granger. You can't have the both of us around and expect us to be okay with it."

_(Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?)_

"Draco." His name a breathless whisper from her lips. "I'm right here."

He's not alone. She's not alone. That's all there was to it. And after all, that's all that matters anyway.

(_Fin.)_

**A/N: **To be honest, I don't like what I just wrote. Argh. I'm quite rusty and I've been hoping to get my zeal for writing back. I'm not exactly sure if there was exactly a plot to this story. I wouldn't really count this as a songfic because the song 'Skinny Love' makes me think of a different story line. The lyrics just kind of fit well with the snippets I wrote though. I tried making them cohesive but I'm not sure if I did it right. If you didn't get it, just think of them as little individual scenarios. Sigh. Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter or the song (which is nice, by the way). Reviews please?

I also accidentally uploaded the wrong file so the first time I posted Skinny Love, it was an Infernal Devices fic instead. So sorry! _

A massive thank you to all those who read the fic and my ridiculously long note at the end!

(Don't you just love it when the Brits say 'massive thank you to…'? Well, I do.)


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